10/16 Sweetgum, wildfire smoke, coming winter, oil futures, viewing salmon, Skeena sockeye, anemone, Site C dam

American sweetgum

American Sweetgum Liquidambar styraciflua
The Sweetgum tree is native to the southeastern United States and a member of a genus made up of only six species. The others are found only in Asia. The first historical reference to the tree comes from the author and soldier, Don Bernal Diaz del Castillo, who accompanied Cortez in 1519 and was a witness to ceremonies between Cortez and Montezuma, who both partook of a liquid amber extracted from a sweetgum tree. The tree itself was first noticed and recorded by the historian Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca in 1542. Once commercially popular for soaps, adhesives and pharmaceuticals, today its wood is valuable for fine furniture and interior finishing. (Arborday.org)

Wildfire smoke in US exposes millions to hazardous pollution
Wildfires churning out dense plumes of smoke as they scorch huge swaths of the U.S. West Coast have exposed millions of people to hazardous pollution levels, causing emergency room visits to spike and potentially thousands of deaths among the elderly and infirm, according to an Associated Press analysis of pollution data and interviews with physicians, health authorities and researchers.  Matthew Brown and Camille Fassett report. (AP)

Winter in Seattle area expected to be colder, wetter than usual, says new report 
The Puget Sound region is likely to have a La Niña winter this year, meaning it will be a colder and wetter season than usual, according to a new report. Christine Clarridge reports. (Seattle Times) B.C.'s South Coast could be colder and snowier than normal this winter, meteorologists say  Experts say a developing La Niña could mean more winter storms on B.C.'s South Coast. Tiffany Crawford reports. (Vancouver Sun)

The End Of Oil? Battle Lines Drawn As Industry Grapples With Energy's Future
Oil is facing an existential crisis. There has never been so much uncertainty about the future of a commodity that keeps the global economic engine running. And it's not just environmental activists calling for the end of oil: New reports out this week show the battle lines are shaping up within the industry. Camila Domonoske reports. (NPR)

Interactive map leads to salmon viewing locations
The Skagit Fisheries Enhancement Group (SFEG) is continuing to offer folks a chance to see salmon returning to spawn in local streams. SFEG has launched “Salmon Sightings,” a website complete with an interactive map of the best stream banks in Skagit County from which to catch a glimpse of returning salmon. Vince Richardson reports. (Skagit Valley Herald)

Skeena sockeye returns jump 50 per cent in three years thanks to Indigenous leadership
B.C. First Nations voluntarily closed their food fishery or limited the catch for two decades to help rebuild salmon populations. This year, those sacrifices are paying off. Matt Simmons reports. (The Narwhal)

One Great Shot: Packing Stingers
Don’t mess with the aggregating anemone. The aggregating anemone is so common in British Columbia’s tide pools and shallows that most people wouldn’t give it a second glance. But up close they are otherworldly creatures with amazing structures and behaviors. Underneath a ring of green tentacles are acrorhagi—stubby, specialized tentacles loaded with stinging nematocysts. The anemone keeps these tentacles retracted deep inside its body until it needs to defend its territory from other boundary-pushing anemones. Patrick Keeling reports. (Hakai Magazine)

Scrapping B.C.’s Site C dam could lead to $116 million in savings every year: energy economist
Serious geotechnical issues and the project's escalating cost make the dam uneconomical, according to two new reports that call for the newly elected government to cancel it immediately. Sarah Cox reports. (The Narwhal)

Now, your weekend tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  235 AM PDT Fri Oct 16 2020   
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH LATE TONIGHT   
TODAY  SW wind 15 to 25 kt becoming W 20 to 30 kt in the  afternoon. Wind waves 3 to 5 ft. W swell 5 ft at 8 seconds  building to 7 ft at 8 seconds in the afternoon. Rain in the  morning then rain likely in the afternoon. 
TONIGHT  W wind 15 to 25 kt easing to 10 to 20 kt after  midnight. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft. W swell 9 ft at 8 seconds. Rain  likely in the evening. 
SAT  W wind 5 to 15 kt in the morning becoming light. Wind  waves 2 ft or less in the morning becoming less than 1 ft. W  swell 8 ft at 9 seconds. A slight chance of rain in the  afternoon. 
SAT NIGHT  Light wind becoming SE 5 to 15 kt after midnight.  Wind waves less than 1 ft becoming 2 ft or less after midnight. W  swell 5 ft at 10 seconds. 
SUN  E wind to 10 kt. Wind waves 1 ft or less. W swell 4 ft at  10 seconds.

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